Still Dancing: Season 1, Episode 7
by bionic4ever
Summary: Season 1, Episode 7: Will Jaime and Steve ever be able to admit their feelings for each other....to each other?
1. Chapter 1

**STILL DANCING** – Season 1, Episode 7

Chapter One

"So....what's the story with you and Russ?" Jaime probed, re-filling Peggy Callahan's wineglass in the hope it might loosen her friend's tongue.

Peggy giggled...and blushed. "He's so sweet, Jaime!" she gushed. "And so different when he's out of the office – you wouldn't believe it."

"I haven't seen you this excited – ever," Jaime told her. "He must be pretty special. How long have you been seeing him now?"

"Six weeks tomorrow. We're going out to dinner."

"Peggy, you got out to dinner _every_ night," Jaime said, smiling.

"Not every night....sometimes he comes over to my place and I cook...."

Jaime laughed. "I'm so happy for you; you deserve a great guy."

They clinked glasses, and Peggy decided turnabout was fair play. "What about you and Steve?"

"Everything's great..." Jaime said, not-so-convincingly. She stared into her wine, swirling it in the glass and growing wistful as she pictured Steve's face.

"....Jaime...?" Peggy gently touched her arm, urging her to continue.

"Well, ever since we got back from Greece, we've barely seen each other! I mean, we worked the bombing together – but that was _work._ And since then, it's almost like..." her voice trailed off.

"Like what?"

"Like Oscar's trying to keep us apart."

"Oh, I don't think so," Callahan argued gently. "He's always said how perfect you two are for each other. That's why he gave you that time in Greece -"

"Enough time to fall in love again, but not enough to do anything with it...." Jaime mused.

"_Love?"_ Peggy was gushing again. "That's wonderful! Isn't it....?"

"I just got back from Spain last night," Jaime explained. "And Steve left for God-Knows-Where this morning."

"That's right; he can't even tell you."

Jaime nodded miserably. "If I'm lucky, he might call...."

"But when you _are_ together," Callahan said, trying to cheer her up, "things are good – right?"

_Were they?_ Jaime didn't know quite how to answer that. While she still had no memory of their past together, Jaime and Steve had grown much closer in Greece than either one of them had expected. But even then, was it the adrenaline rush of the danger they'd found themselves in? The camaraderie of working as a team? While they'd been there, Jaime had told Steve she loved him for the first time since her amnesia – and she had absolutely no doubt of his love for her. Still, would it be enough to keep them together in a decidedly non-couple-friendly career?

Steve had to be wondering the same thing, and yet – when they did manage a few precious hours together – they danced around the subject as though touching on it would give it weight that neither of them wanted to face. They both knew that successful relationships where one party was an operative were virtually non-existent and yet....they were still dancing.

- - -

After Callahan was gone, Jaime sat with her scrapbook in her lap. It was finally complete, with nothing from her past held back as potentially harmful. Her life – and Steve's – had been carefully chronicled in photos and newspaper clippings and Jaime ran her fingers over each one in turn, trying mightily to grasp even the smallest wisps of memory.

It seemed like, at every major crossroad and high point of her life, Steve had been there at her side (and vice versa). Jaime felt bitter – she'd been robbed of so much! - and frustrated that all of this was right here, where she could see and touch it....but not feel or really remember a thing.

She stared at the engagement announcement for a very long time, not even noticing the tears streaming down her cheeks. Would they ever be that close again? Would their careers (and the OSI itself) ever allow it?

- - - - -


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Steve's plane would be landing soon, and he leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes, thinking of Jaime. She'd be _livid_ if she knew he was back in Greece! The buyers Michael had arranged to take Jaime off of his hands had never been apprehended and Oscar had sent him in as a sort of bionic bait. (Jaime, of course, didn't know _that_ either.) He'd be met at the airstrip by a team from Interpol and taken directly to their office in Athens, where he could casually feel out the underworld – with the painstakingly careful protection of Interpol backing him up unseen from the sidelines.

Jaime....the truth was, he missed her already. He'd seen true longing in her eyes when she'd taken in the three-year-old twin girls, and he knew exactly what she was thinking because he wanted the very same things in his life...and he wanted them with _her._ When he held Jaime in his arms, Steve felt truly alive in ways he never could without her. Being with her was like breathing – natural...and necessary.

He forced himself out of his reverie as the plane touched terra firma. The very instant he set foot on the tarmac, a much harsher reality took hold. Gunfire filled the air – seemingly from every direction at once – and in the blink of an eye, four Interpol agents lay motionless on the ground. Three men were immediately upon him, guns pointed straight at Steve's chest.

"Hello, Colonel. I believe _we're_ your welcoming committee now."

- - -

Peggy knew when Russ ran past her desk without even glancing her way that something was terribly wrong. She didn't mean to eavesdrop, but in his hurry, Russ hadn't closed the door.

"Interpol reports four agents gunned down at the airstrip," he told Oscar breathlessly. "The pilot's dead, too."

"Damn it!" Oscar's fist pounded the desk in frustration. "What about Steve?" he asked.

"There's no sign of him. He could've established a quick cover – and gone with them willingly, working the case," Russ suggested.

"I can't take that chance." If it weren't for his leg (still in a cast), Oscar would have gone in himself, but as it was now, he had no other options. "Call Jaime," he said, very softly.

- - -

Steve had been right – Jaime was _livid_. "Oscar, how could you do this?" She'd never yelled at a boss before in her life, but her temper was on auto-pilot. "You sent him straight into the line of fire – put him into the very hands of the people who were ready to buy me and cut me apart!"

Oscar had the uncanny ability to grow calmer as the people around him began to lose their heads – and right now, he was very calm. "He may not be in trouble at all, Jaime. He could be working the case from the inside. These people may not even know he's bionic; all they know for certain is that he's from the OSI."

"That's just great. Best Intel in the world and all you can tell me is 'maybe'?"

"You're the only person I've got who's capable of scoping this out from a distance, determining _if_ Steve's in trouble – and if he is, getting him out. This group knows your name, but we don't believe they've ever seen your face..."

"You'll be taking a regular, commercial flight," Russ told her. "You'll draw less attention that way. Interpol will arrange -"

"No," Jaime stated flatly.

"What?"

"I don't want them involved," Jaime insisted. "At least, not yet." Seeing the look on both men's faces, she explained. "We don't know what happened at that airstrip – or who might've tipped these people off that Steve was coming."

"She's right," Oscar agreed.

Jaime bit back the urge to say 'I usually am' – and simply nodded. "I'll keep in touch with you when I can," she promised, "but the more I can fly solo on this, the safer I'll be – at least until we know what we're dealing with."

Russ looked at Oscar with amazement. Was he really going to allow Jaime to dictate her own terms here? Surprisingly, Oscar did exactly that.

"Alright, Babe....we'll wait to hear from you."

- - - - -


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Oscar's initial Intel report – the one that had triggered his sending Steve to Greece – had been vague, sketchy and, unfortunately _wrong_. Steve figured out almost immediately that his captors were not the original buyers Michael had arranged to sell Jaime to. They knew his name – which the original group did not – and although they were asking questions about 'the woman', their knowledge of Jaime seemed very limited....at first. Without any accurate Intel to guide him, Steve was flying solo – and blind. Very carefully, he tried to figure out a way to not only save himself but to bring this group into custody without any more bloodshed.

He'd tried to give them a fake name (the one on his equally fake passport), but they weren't buying it. "We know who you are, Colonel Austin," the leader told him with a sneer. "Now you will tell us about the woman."

"What woman? You saw me get off the plane – I came alone," Steve asserted.

"This time perhaps. But several weeks ago, you were also here – and with a woman our associates were ready to pay an obscene amount of money for. We need to know who she is, what makes her worth such a sum...and where we can find her." So there could be no doubt of whom he was speaking, the man thrust a picture into Steve's bound hands. It had been taken the afternoon that Jaime and Steve were eating gryos on the hotel veranda (right before Michael took her away). The photo left no doubt that they were together, and Steve fell silent as the man shoved a second picture toward him – a close-up (taken with a strong zoom lens) of Jaime's face.

"Who is she?" the leader demanded again.

Steve shrugged. "If ya do find her, let me know – she owes me money!"

"What money?"

Steve did his best to feign embarrassment. "Well, I sort of...hired her. You guys know what I mean, right?" He gave the gunmen that surrounded him a conspiratorial wink. "Pretty girl, hangs around a hotel....we made a deal, then when I went to the john, she took off with my money!"

"She tell you her name?" the leader asked gruffly.

Steve pretended to concentrate. "Lisa Something-or-Other....I think. She didn't seem American or British – didn't speak English too well – but she knew what I wanted." He grinned lasciviously. "Guess that's what you call a universal language, huh?"

- - -

Jaime stepped off the plane and into a taxi with absolutely no idea where to start looking. Without Interpol backing her up, she might be safer, but she also had no Intel to guide her way. Like Steve, like was flying blind. She decided to go back to where the trouble had started – the hotel that had been the place of origin on their first trip to Greece. The driver carried Jaime's bags into the hotel, but she didn't even get a chance to go inside before a slightly-familiar voice greeted her from the beach bar.

"You're back again?" the bartender called to her. He'd been the one who'd tossed Jaime a coin for the pay phone when Michael was gunning for her, then ducked behind the bar and crawled to safety as Jaime was shot. Jaime didn't know it, but he'd also witnessed her abduction by Michael a few days later, accepting money from Michael to keep his mouth shut and then telling all to Steve and the police any way.

Jaime didn't know whose side he might be playing for, but he seemed very eager to talk to her, so she approached the bar. "Couldn't get enough of the place, I guess," she said, leaning casually toward him. "So I came back for more."

The bartender looked nervously in every direction before turning toward Jaime again. "I sure hope you don't mean that literally, Miss. 'Cause if I was you, I'd be layin' low right about now. There's some pretty nasty people lookin' to hunt you down...."

- - - - -


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"You'd better get your bags back," the bartender told Jaime. "You do _not_ wanna check in here."

"Well I'm over here – and the bags are certainly not gonna check themselves in without me," Jaime said reasonably. "They'll wait."

The bartender shrugged. "Your choice, Lady. I just hope you have plenty of money in your pocket, then...."

"For what? I don't need a drink."

"There are.....ah....people who've paid me a great deal of money to keep an eye out for you -"

"Terrific," Jaime muttered.

"But I guess I'm more of what you'd call a mercenary. You top their offer and I'm all yours."

Jaime wasn't about to bargain with Steve's life (and her own) at stake. Very quickly, before anyone could notice, she picked the bartender up by the collar of his shirt and backed him into the small supply shed behind the bar, closing the door behind them. She continued to hold him, feet dangling, and pulled his face very close to her own, glaring directly into his eyes.

"Now you listen to me," she hissed. "I don't intend to pay you a penny, but you _will_ talk to me. Wanna know why? Because if you don't, I'll see to it that you spend the rest of your life singing soprano." Jaime raised a knee threateningly. "The fact that I can lift you like this should tell you that I am fully capable – and I'm _not_ kidding."

The man stared at her with fear in his eyes, but Jaime saw doubt there too – and she couldn't allow that. She hoisted him up on top of a stack of liquor cases and – much faster than he could react – grabbed some baling twine and bound his ankles together, securing the knot behind the cases at the very bottom, where he couldn't reach them. "Now," she said, smiling with satisfaction, "start talking."

- - -

Armed with an address (and after notifying Oscar that she was on her way to find Steve), Jaime ducked from the street in front of the building to the alley that ran behind it. It was one of a series of offices, and most of them appeared long-vacated. She stopped just above a stairwell that led down to a basement and listened. At first, she heard nothing – and started debating the merits of returning to the bartender and retying him headfirst toward the floor then....footsteps.

"Alright, Colonel," a voice was saying, "we will work with you. You will go back to the hotel and find this woman, make another deal with her and get her up to a room...then we move in. Just remember, you'll be in our sights the whole time. Try anything stupid and there will be more bullets than you'll be able to count. Who knows how many innocent bystanders will go down with you..."

Jaime turned and ran at bionic speed back toward the hotel, thankful for the winding country roads Steve and his captors would have to take to get there. She prayed she'd be able to beat them there...and still have enough time to pull this off.

- - -

Steve could feel half a dozen pairs of eyes watching him – and half a dozen guns at the ready – as he made his way toward the beach side of the hotel. He was still silently scrambling for what to so next. Maybe grab an innocent blonde from the lobby and coax her up to a room, where he could call Oscar or Interpol...? Too risky. He'd halfway decided to charm someone into following him and then send her out of the elevator at a different floor to keep her safe (hoping Interpol could reach him in time) when he saw....._Jaime._

Steve had to do a double take. What was she doing in Greece – and looking like _that?_ She wore a sapphire blue dress that was far too short and cut almost to her navel, heels that would make any man swoon (and any woman break her legs)....and the most ungodly shade of bright red lipstick Steve had ever seen. She looked like...exactly the kind of woman Steve had told his captors she was!

Jaime smiled and licked her lips seductively, knowing they were being watched. "Hey there, Handsome....buy me a drink....?"

- - - - -


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"I'd like to do a lot more than that," Steve told her, falling into his role (and yet still telling the truth). Under his breath, too faintly for anyone but Jaime to hear, he added "I'm not wired. I don't know what you're doing here...but I sure am glad to see you."

"The bartender seems to have taken a little break," Jaime told him, "but I have plenty to drink....up in my room." She gave Steve her best impression of a 'take-me-now' look – and he had great difficulty remembering that they were _acting_.

"I mix a mean martini," Steve said smoothly.

"Well, let's go then, Sugar." Jaime stood and Steve wrapped one arm around her, taking care to look like a sex-crazed customer rather than half of a couple. "I swear, you're practically drooling," she whispered as he leaned in close.

"Part of the act," he lied.

"Okay, what's the story?" Jaime asked as soon as they were alone in the elevator.

"They're not the original buyers. They want _you_ – but only because they know their 'associates' were willing to pay millions to get their hands on you."

"Are they right behind us?" she wondered.

"No. They must have a connection at the front desk because they said they'd find us....after I get you in...um... in a compromising position." The doors opened and they stepped out into an empty hallway.

"Then we've got a few minutes," Jaime said, opening the door. "Do they know we're bionic?" she asked once they were safely inside.

"I don't think so." Steve picked up the phone and dialed Oscar's red line while Jaime looked around the room for anything they might use to subdue their potential attackers. He quickly explained the situation, then returned to where Jaime was standing by the window, closing the drapes. "He's sending an army's-worth of help," Steve said quietly.

"They're out there, too," she noted. "We can't jump." Her eyes scanned the room again. "We could barricade the door and try to wait them out until Interpol gets here."

"They'd probably try to shoot their way through," Steve replied. "And they don't care how many civilians – even children – they might hit."

"Super." Jaime kicked off the spike heels, knowing she could move better without them, and then leaned into Steve's arms. "Steve, I don't wanna just get away from them; I wanna take them down. I want this over with!"

"I know – so do I." His eyes fell on the shoes she'd just discarded. "And I think I have an idea..."

Ten minutes later, when Jaime heard the elevator coming, they got into their agreed-upon positions and kissed for luck. "I love you..." they both whispered, very softly.

The door opened quickly but without force. (They not only had connections – they had a key!) Steve had been right, guessing that in addition to the gunman outside their window they would leave one each at the front and rear exits of the hotel. Only three gunmen entered the room. They moved to the bed with their guns drawn, aiming for the two people apparently under the blankets. Two right arms that they never had time to notice snaked around the corner from the bathroom and two shoes – spikes pointed outward - hurled in their direction. Both heels hit their intended targets and while the element of surprise was still on their side, Jaime and Steve descended on the third gunman, knocking him down and tying him securely before he had time to finish muttering "What the hell -"

With bionic speed, they tied the two unconscious men together and then stepped back for a hug of relief before phoning Oscar. Jaime heard sirens approaching and ran to the window. The police and Interpol had begun to arrive, but the gunman standing guard was gone. "What about the other three?" she asked.

"We've got their leader," Steve answered, nodding toward one of the men with a heel gouge in the back of his head. "Hopefully, once you cut off the head of a monster, the tail dies, too....or just slithers away. And I doubt this idiot will be above selling out his little minions to try and save his own skin." Steve pulled Jaime close again and kissed her. "Great job, Partner."

"Partner? I kinda like that..."

"Just imagine, we'll have the whole flight home to be alone together...and talk."

Jaime could hardly wait.

- - - - -


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

After a little birdie whispered in Oscar's ear about how little time Jaime and Steve actually got to spend together (and because of all they'd accomplished), Oscar decided they deserved to fly back to the States in style. Rather than a transport plane, he'd sent his private jet – after ensuring the champagne stocked therein was properly chilled, of course.

"You made a beautiful...ah...Lady of the Night," Steve said as the plane took off – earning him a playful slug from Jaime. "Seriously, though, how did you know to _do_ that?"

"I got the address where you were from my buddy the bartender," Jaime explained, "and I overhead someone tell you to go back to the hotel, find 'that woman' and...."

"And take her up to a room?"

"Yeah. So... I guessed."

"And you guessed very well," Steve told her, handing Jaime a glass of champagne.

"If I'd been wrong – about what they meant or about which hotel – it still would've made a great cover." She looked at him quizzically. "What were you gonna do if I wasn't there?"

"I....hadn't figured that out yet. Wing it, I guess. I can't tell you how happy I was to see you."

Jaime smiled at him, nearly swooning at the love she could see radiating from Steve's eyes. Once again, there seemed to be an elephant in the room – a topic too huge to ignore – and this time, Jaime promised herself they wouldn't simply dance around it. "I'm _always_ happiest when I see you," she told him, never letting go of his gaze. "And I've been looking at that scrapbook, trying so hard -"

"Don't do that," Steve said softly. "You're pushing yourself too hard, toward something that might be impossible to achieve. Rudy says those memories may never come back....but that doesn't stop us from making new ones."

"Here's to new memories," Jaime agreed, clinking his glass with hers before growing quiet and wistful.

Steve gave her a few moments with her thoughts before gently interrupting. "Sweetheart...? Talk to me?"

Jaime sighed. "We have so much...._history_, Steve! And it's right there, just outta my reach! There's all of these things that I don't know, that I wonder about, and -"

"Ask away."

"I don't wanna hurt you..."

Steve smiled. "I wouldn't offer if I didn't mean it."

Jaime took a deep breath, blushed just a little...and dove in. "I know we were close – really close – but were we....did we ever...sleep together?" From the intensity of the longing she felt every time she looked at Steve, Jaime guessed that they probably had. Still, it would be nice to _know_.

Steve grinned. "Well....there wasn't much actual _sleep_ involved....but yes, we did."

Jaime nodded, letting it sink in. "Um....how was it?"

"You really need to ask?" he joked.

"I'd sure like to find out....someday," Jaime chuckled. She couldn't believe she'd actually said it, but there it was – and she was glad.

"I'm pretty sure we can make that happen," Steve said lightly, "when we're ready."

Jaime tilted her head up to kiss him. Their eyes stayed open, delving deep inside each other's very souls as the kiss slowly grew deeper, leaving them breathless. They knew without needing to say it that they _were_ ready....if they were ever given half an opportunity...

- - -

By the time their plane landed in Washington, there was no longer an elephant in the room – and Steve and Jaime had stopped dancing around the truth of what was really between them. They had one more stop to make before checking in with Oscar. What the OSI didn't know...wouldn't hurt anyone.

- - - - -


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

"Your plane landed hours ago," Oscar said pointedly (feigning more annoyance than he actually felt).

"We went out for dinner," Steve told him, a little too quickly.

Oscar didn't miss the conspiratorial glance that passed between Steve and Jaime....and he smiled, deciding to let it go – for now. "I need to tell you how proud I am – of both of you."

Jaime looked puzzled. Did he _know?_ "Huh?" she asked.

"You both did a wonderful job in Greece. Interpol rounded up the three who got away, so the case is closed with a bright red ribbon on top. Nice work – you two are a great team."

Steve smiled and gave Jaime a wink. "I think we've finally figured that out," he said.

"Babe," Oscar concluded, "I do need to talk to Steve for a few minutes..."

"He just got back!" Jaime pouted. "Have a little mercy, will ya?"

Callahan was at her desk when Jaime left Steve and Oscar alone in the inner office. Grateful for the company, Jaime gave her a joyful hug. "How was the anniversary dinner?" she asked.

"We put it off 'til tonight," Peggy explained. "Things got a little crazy around here and Russ had to stay late, so...." Peggy looked more closely at her friend. "Jaime – you are positively _glowing!_ Did something happen in Greece....with you and Steve?" She blushed. "I mean...."

Jaime smiled. "Nothing happened in Greece," she answered truthfully, "except work."

"Jaime Sommers, there's something you're not telling me!"

"So tell me about tonight," Jaime insisted – completely changing the subject. "Where are you going?"

"Russ won't tell me. He says it's a surprise." Peggy eyed Jaime curiously. "Are you waiting for Steve?"

"He's my ride home." She turned as the door to the inner office opened again. "Speak of the devil," Jaime said happily. Callahan noticed that she seemed drawn to Steve like a magnet. A _pair_ of magnets, they were!

"Peggy," Steve began with a gallant bow, "I hope you don't mind if I steal this pretty lady away from here."

"Not at all," Peggy told him. "Jaime...we'll talk tomorrow, okay?"

When she and Steve were alone in the elevator, Jaime slumped back against the wall. "So....when do you leave?"

"He wanted me to go right away," Steve answered. "I told him I'd be more than happy to help him out -"

"Steve!"

"Tomorrow morning."

"Well, that's a little better," Jaime agreed, settling into his arms for the brief ride down. "Did you...tell him?"

"Of course not."

"Maybe we should...." Jaime wavered.

"We will – but not right now." When the doors opened, they took a step apart and walked casually through the lobby, hand-in-hand. Once they reached the fountain out front, Steve couldn't resist the urge a moment longer. He pulled Jaime close and kissed her with all the passion he'd had to hold back for the last few months.

Jaime responded eagerly, hungering for him, needing his touch....then suddenly pulled away.

"What's wrong?" Steve asked. "You think he's looking out the window?"

"Probably not....but Callahan probably is. She knows something's up."

"What'd you tell her?" Steve wondered as they headed toward the car.

"That absolutely nothing happened between us in Greece," Jaime answered, grinning mischievously.

"Excellent answer. What's up with her and Russ?"

"Six week anniversary dinner tonight....so they won't be popping in unexpectedly." They got into the car and Jaime ran her hand across the muscles of Steve's chest, leaning over the stick shift for one more kiss. "We'll be all alone..." Steve might be slated to leave for who-knows-where in the morning, but tonight Steve and Jaime had business of their own to attend to....

- - -

They stretched out on a thick fur rug with a bottle of their favorite wine, savoring their victory. "To us," Steve toasted.

"And to secrets," Jaime added, clinking his glass.

"Not all secrets are bad ones," Steve agreed. "Besides, we'll tell them someday -"

Jaime nodded. "But maybe not for awhile. It's safer this way and besides....I kinda like it. And I _love_ you."

"I love you, too....Mrs. Austin."

END OF EPISODE SEVEN


End file.
